LinkedIn redesigns mobile apps

LinkedIn Corp. released a revamped mobile platform today, a key strategic move since the fastest growing number of page views for the professional social network comes through mobile devices.

LinkedIn Corp.

LinkedIn redesigned its iPhone and Android apps “front to back” to make them faster and easier to use, said Joff Redfern, director of mobile products for the Mountain View company.

LinkedIn, which has more than 120 million members, also redesigned its entire mobile platform to make the experience seamless no matter what mobile browser is used, Redfern said.

The company said earlier this month that mobile page views have increased 400 percent compared to last year, which makes mobile LinkedIn’s fastest growing consumer service. And Redfern said LinkedIn serves about 500 million views of member profiles per year just from mobile devices.

LinkedIn Corp.

“And when we look at that trajectory, we really don’t see any end in sight,” Redfern said.

The changes start with the replacement of nine small icons on the old home screen with four larger folders for updates, messages, profile information and group discussions.

The update page also highlights LinkedIn Today news and other information posted by people in a member’s network.

“We really focused on looking at what we know people are doing on the go,” he said.

The redesign comes one week after Facebook released Facebook Messenger, an app that also focuses on mobile users.